This invention pertains in general to a safety guard for use with a motorized scissor lift. In particular, the present invention provides a movable safety guard for a motorized scissor lift. When the scissor lift is in its lowermost position, the guard is held closely against the sides of the lift to allow the lift to pass through doorways and the like. As the scissor lift is actuated and begins to rise, the safety guard moves away from the lift mechanism to allow the lift to be elevated to a desired working level.
Stationary safety guards have been used in the prior art in conjunction with scissor lifts. However, the stationary safety guards must be designed to allow clearance between the guard and the lift mechanism. This clearance adds to the overall width of the machine and restricts the doorways through which the machines may pass. The present invention avoids that problem by the use of a movable safety guard which is held tightly against the sides of the lift when the scissor lift mechanism is in its lowermost position. In this position, the motorized lift may pass through a doorway (or other limited clearance passageway) with minimum side clearance as well as minimum overhead clearance.
A primary object of the invention is to provide a movable safety guard for a motorized scissor lift which reduces the effective width of the machine in its lowermost position to allow it to pass through relatively narrow doorways and access ways.
A further object of the invention is to provide a movable safety guard mechanism for a scissor lift wherein the guard automatically moves from its closed to its open position when the lift is lowered and raised.
A further object of the invention is to provide a movable guard mechanism which is simple in design and extremely dependable.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings wherein: